BA Season 3: 46 'Burnin' Rubber, Baby'
by The Barracuda
Summary: Todd shows off his new car to his girlfriend. A gargoyle screaming for her life, a race through the empty streets of Manhattan, and one hell of a crash ensue. Just where are the cops in this city!


  
  
46 - "Burnin' Rubber, Baby!!"  
Originally Written: February 23rd, 2001  
  
July 21st, 2001, 12:30 a.m.  
"Aren't you going to even tell me where we're going?" the young gargess asked of her  
companion, watching him merely click fast his ashen gray eyes to her, and smirk.  
  
"Nope." Todd answered back, a relaxed position of crossed arms, and leaning against the  
rear wall of the elevator compartment, as it descended the entire length of the Eyrie  
building.  
  
Annika fumed, and pouted, an angered, yet still arousing display of her large lips forming  
a scowl. "You barge into my room, pull me from my sculpting, let the bowl I was  
working on collapse to a pile of brown mush, force me to get cleaned up, and drag me  
into the elevator. And you're not even going to explain why we're now," she gazed to  
the electronic readout of the descending levels above the doors, "almost to the bottom  
floor?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Annika clenched her fists and suppressed the urge to smack the handsome bastard,  
hoping whatever he had planned to surprise her with was worth all the hassle. "Fine.   
This had better be good." she hissed, crossing her own arms, effectively mimicking her  
boyfriend's stance.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Oh, shut up!"  
  
****************************************  
  
The elevator slowed it's descent, and lurched to a sudden stop, slightly unnerving the  
gargoyle, having never traveled this far down into the Eyrie building. "Basement?" she  
whispered, as Todd pulled forward from his position, waiting for the doors to pop open  
with their usual hiss. "We're in the basement. Is there anyone else down here? You  
know, people who may scream and faint or do something even worse when I step out?"  
  
"Nope." Todd answered back. "We're now at Xanatos' private parking garage. This is  
where Elisa keeps the Fairlane." The doors trembled with the release of the hydraulic  
locks, and the shimmering walls of titanium gracefully slid from his path. "C'mon..."   
He walked out, and Annika timidly poked her head from the elevator entrance, darting  
her gaze to the brightly lit environment of concrete walls and support beams.  
  
She picked up the foul aroma of exhaust and gasoline, and a faint scent of rubber upon  
the slick floor, even with the massive ventilating fans above. She quickened her pace to  
catch up to her beau, and nervously continued behind him, still fearing discovery even  
though he had assured her of her safety. Perhaps a security guard would choose to patrol  
here this night, and only turn a corner to gaze onto a rose-colored female gargoyle.  
  
"Would you stop that!" Todd barked, having stopped and whirled around to grasp  
Annika's arm. "No one's here. Xanatos has this garage sectioned off for his personal  
use. Even Goliath and Trinity sometimes wait here when Elisa comes home from her  
shifts. Now let's go, I want to show you this..."  
  
Annika skidded to a halt, and twisted her arm to reverse the hold Todd had placed on her,  
and pulled him forcefully back, using her superior gargoyle strength. "Show me what?!"  
she demanded, and Todd merely grew a wicked smile, and planted a soft kiss to her lips.  
  
"C'mon," he urged once more, "you'll love it, I promise." They continued their journey  
to the far end of the parking structure, and though a short walk, it seemed an awfully long  
distance to Annika, feeling quite exposed in these desolate surroundings. She turned her  
head to each side, as the couple passed by the legion of automobiles owned by Xanatos  
and Fox, even Todd's black Jeep and Elisa's dark cherry-tinted, nineteen-fifty-five Ford  
Fairlane. As their journey came to an end, only to be halted by the opposite wall, Todd  
wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and curled his hand to her chin, directing her gaze  
to an indistinct corner. "There..."  
  
Annika cocked a blond eyebrow, as her sapphire eyes lay upon a dark gray sheet,  
covering a massive shape, and she judged it to be the size of a vehicle. "Woooow," she  
drawled, "a big gray lump. I'm impressed."  
  
"Under the sheet." he cut back in a caustic tone, annoyed that she had picked up his gift  
for sarcasm. "And it's not just a sheet," he remarked as he moved to the side of the  
covered form, "it's a very expensive, poly-urethane and Teflon coated, breathable, water  
and dust resistant, mink lined, protecto-cover."  
  
"And this protecto-cover, is actually covering...what?"  
  
Todd bared his teeth, and grasped his hands to the sheet. "This..." He pulled it away,  
and the soft florescent lights cast upon a gleaming vehicle, and Annika gasped in shock.  
  
"W-What is it?" she asked, actually forming the slight beginnings of a grin as she  
approached the automobile.  
  
"This, my beautiful winged goddess, is a nineteen-seventy Plymouth Superbird." Todd  
explained, his heart beating incredibly faster when peering in the glass-like, painted  
surface.  
  
"A...Superbird?" she asked, never tearing her eyes from the machine before her. "That's  
some kind of car I take it?"  
  
"No. A seventy-two Datsun is a car. This...is what the gods use as a chariot to get to  
Mount Olympus. This is the ultimate in muscle-cars, with a four forty, six pack engine,  
bored out to point three zero, with a Holley carb, chrome lifters, and two matching cherry  
bomb mufflers. This sucker has over four hundred and fifty horsepower under the hood,  
and is able to melt the tires in all four gears." Todd wiped away mock tears in describing  
this vehicle to a staring Annika. "These cars were built to race on the NASCAR circuit,  
and now, are available to us normal speed demons at a fraction of the cost. Well, thirty  
years ago. This sucker cost me an arm and a leg when I found it a couple years back. I  
had to decide whether to buy a bigger T.V., or this. Guess what I chose...especially when  
these motherfuckers can reach speeds up to two hundred miles per hour. Oh baby..."  
  
Annika edged closer, seeing her reflection in the dark purple paint of the long hood.   
"You never told me you had a car like this..." she whispered, her eyes caressing upon  
every rounded shape. From the scooped nose with the ivory painted headlight brands, to  
the sleek lines screaming for the wind to pass along the sheet metal, the thick raven tires  
with bright white lettering surrounding the shining mag wheels, the large 'Plymouth' in  
white paint on the rear quarter panels, and even the massive spoiler raising behind the  
cab, complete with the small pictures of the Roadrunner from the animated cartoon.   
"I've never even seen a car like this..."  
  
"They're rare." Todd explained, coming back beside Annika and pulling her into his  
arms. "I've been working on it for a while now."  
  
"It's...beautiful." she suspired, actually surprised she could like an automobile this much,  
usually unimpressed with this section of human technology.  
  
"I know," she agreed with her, literally choking in his lust, "I know."  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a second vehicle?"  
  
Todd shrugged. "You never asked." A sharp pain erupted in his mid-section, as Annika  
used her elbow spur to nudge him gently in the ribs. "Well, I didn't know if I could  
afford to keep it, but with all the jobs I've been hired for in the last few weeks, I had  
some spare cash to finally slap some paint on it. I kept it at Crash's house, his parents  
have a garage out back where I could work on it, and all it needed was the paint.   
'Metallic In-Violet'. You like?"  
  
"I like." she answered back, noticing the purple coat shimmering similar to the stars in  
the night sky as the light passed over it.  
  
"And now that I'm doing one of the clan, I'm practically family, so Xanatos told me I  
could keep it here. OUCH!!! Stop poking me there!" he yelled back to a grinning  
Annika, rubbing the sore spot on his side. "Anyway, tomorrow night, after I've finished  
the last part of the mural in Demona's office, we'll take a spin."  
  
Annika swiveled around with wide eyes and a beaming smile. "Really?!!"  
  
"Oh yeah, the maiden voyage. It'll have to be after midnight though, at least. Less  
cops..." Todd decided to leave the cover off, folding it gently into a packed square, and  
he then shoved it into the trunk, and swerved around Annika to walk back to the elevator.  
  
The gargess never followed, instead electing to remain near the front and take in every  
nuance of the vehicle before her. She noticed Todd almost near the elevator doors, and  
turned back, slowly leaning over, her taloned hand tentatively reaching out to smooth her  
fingers over the surface. She was mere inches from the steel skin and it's paint, when a  
voice rang out...  
  
"HEY, NO TOUCHIES!!!"  
  
Annika immediately jerked back, slapping her hands to her sides, straightening out as if a  
child caught stealing. She cursed his uncanny power to detect any impending damage to  
his belongings, even though Annika would never harm anything he owned. She followed  
behind him, head hanging low, the child now scolded, and her lips once more in her  
familiar pout. Todd angrily tapped his boot on the cement floor, waiting as the gargess  
sheepishly passed by him and entered the elevator.  
  
"Sorry." she muttered.  
  
"Yeah, you're just lucky you're so damn gorgeous..."  
  
****************************************  
  
July 22nd, 1:20 a.m.  
"Toddy needs a Jolt, Toddy needs a Jolt..." Todd sang a joyous tune as he walked into the  
castle's kitchen, with a duffel bag strapped to his left shoulder, and hoping to refuel his  
body before the big trial-run of his car. He noticed the refrigerator door was wide open,  
and peered over the massive sterling barrier. "Raiding the fridge again, Broadway?" he  
asked.  
  
"What?" A red-haired woman popped up, with a chicken leg between her lips, nearly  
giving Todd a complete coronary collapse.  
  
"JESUS!!! Who the hell are you?!"  
  
She cocked her head, and steadied the several Tupperware dishes in his arms.   
"Mi'mphhmmff..."  
  
Todd pulled up an eyebrow, at the woman's garbled response.  
  
She yanked the half-eaten chicken piece from her mouth and tried again to answer the  
young man. "Sorry. I'm Iliana Starr."  
  
"Oh yeah, Elisa's friend." he replied, now recognizing her for the friend she was. "Don't  
you have any food at home?"  
  
Iliana excitedly eyed her treasure trove of leftover cuisine. "Not like this place..."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Grab me a Jolt, will ya?"  
  
Iliana flicked him the soda in question, and then proceeded to the kitchen table, while  
kicking closed the refrigerator door with a knee-high leather boot. "All I have is a half  
eaten onion sandwich, two weeks old, and a box of baking soda. So I decided to go...ah,  
grocery shopping."  
  
Todd smiled, knowing the bachelor life could be hard at times. "Tell me about it. Good  
thing these guys and gargesses always have plenty to eat." He watched her delve into the  
food as if she had not eaten for days, relishing Broadway's gourmet cooking.   
"Iliana...Iliana..." he repeated her name to himself a few more times, refreshing a  
memory from a month ago, and then suddenly burst into a smile. "Oh man, now I know  
why that name's so damn familiar. You're the chick who saw Shadow's dong!! Ha ha  
ha..."  
  
Iliana immediately stopped her gorging, and let her face drop into her open palms. "Oh  
god..."  
  
"I wished I could have seen his face...'oh jalapena'," he mimicked Shadow's low rasp  
and Japanese accent, "ha ha ha ha ha..."  
  
"It wasn't that big a deal!!" Iliana screamed from her hands.  
  
"Then why are you turning completely red?" Todd excitedly skipped to the tableside,  
and leaned over on his elbows. "Come on. How big is it? Really? Come on. I need  
some dirt on that guy."  
  
Iliana looked up, and Todd suddenly lost his sardonic grin, seeing both the absolute  
feminine lust and the aching regret present in her ice blue eyes. "You have no idea..."  
  
Todd slowly rose up, and backed away, cursing the gargoyle anatomy under his breath,  
and now knowing why Delilah and Elisa loved their chosen companions so very much.   
"Stupid gargoyles and their humongous dongs..." he muttered, as he grabbed his bag and  
hurriedly left the room.  
  
Iliana resumed her meal, and when she grabbed the Vienna sausage, she gasped and  
threw the massive tube of meat back to the table. "Oh god..."  
  
****************************************  
  
1:30 a.m.  
"Of course, Rain. We'd love to have you." replied Elisa, clutching the phone to her ear.   
"Anytime you wish to come is fine by us. In a week? On one condition, if you bring  
pictures of Crystal." Elisa released a warm chuckle as she walked unwittingly into the  
hall, engrossed in her conversation with the Canadian gargoyle. Suddenly, a flash of dark  
rose brushed past her, nearly knocking the slender woman over. "Whoa! Annika!   
Where are you going in such a rush?"  
  
Annika ground to a standstill, and whirled around to face Elisa. "I'm taking a ride in the  
Superbird." she replied excitedly, before tearing off down the corridor, heading for the  
elevator where Todd was waiting for her.  
  
"Superbird?" Elisa released her confusion into the phone. "Huh? Oh, Rain. No, that  
was just Annika. Yeah, the one who's dating the human artist. Anyway, we'll see you  
soon. Bachelors? Well...there may be a few, but if you even think of trying to steal  
Goliath away from me, you'll regret it. Yeah, all right. See you soon. Bye."  
  
****************************************  
  
1:49 a.m.  
"So, you ready?" Todd asked, as the couple once again found themselves in the parking  
garage and in front of the Superbird.  
  
"Yeah," Annika replied, yet the excitement had washed away some when actually faced  
with the certainty of the impending tour of Manhattan's streets, with a slight fear in it's  
place, "but..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I...I don't want you to...what if someone sees me?"  
  
"What's your point?" he asked, still not getting what his girlfriend was stammering  
about.  
  
"Hel-lo! I'm a gargoyle. One sight of me sitting in the passenger seat, and you could  
have an angry mob after you, or something else along those lines."  
  
Todd shook his head. "It's dark, and we'll be going too fast for anyone to notice."  
  
"Too...fast?" Annika's fear now turned from her boyfriend's safety, to her own.  
  
"Hey, you look almost human anyway." Todd illustrated in a soft voice. "You have  
almost normal colored skin, and we can hide some of your more...gargoyle-like features.   
I've prepared for this..." Todd reached into his duffel bag, brought with them to the  
garage, and he pulled out a large trenchcoat. "Cape your wings." he commanded lightly.  
  
She quickly complied, and soon her dark rose wings were wrapped around her shoulders,  
with a mere snap of her membranes. Todd threw the jacket over her, helping her find the  
sleeves. He then grabbed a large bandanna, and captured her head with the dark blue  
material. He wrapped the bandanna around the base of her brow, concealing most of her  
bone spurs, yet still leaving almost half the length of the spikes to rise up unfettered. He  
threw a hand into her free flowing locks, and fluffed them slightly, pulling some of the  
golden strands around the spurs. "Good enough." he said simply.  
  
"If you say so..." Annika responded to his makeshift disguise.  
  
"Now come on, let's roll." Todd quickly veered around to the driver's side, and pulled  
himself into the seat.  
  
Annika walked around to the other side, and slowly descended into the passenger seat.   
She positioned her tail for the maximum comfort her appendage would allow, and closed  
the door, effectively trapping them within the car's black-hued interior. She gazed  
around at the car's inner workings and embellishments, and noticed the black fuzzy dice  
hanging from the rearview mirror. "Cute." she joked, batting the decoration, leaving  
them to sway and slowly return to their place.  
  
"Hey, those things are lucky." Todd defended his choice of ornamentation. "I had those  
in the Jeep, and I haven't hit a single pedestrian. Well, almost." Todd flipped out the  
keys, creating the familiar musical jangle of metal upon metal and positioned them into  
the ignition. He paused and instead turned to Annika, and with a sudden jerk of his head,  
the sunglasses, which had been sitting just above his brow, fell into place over his eyes.   
The key turned, and the car roared to life. The entire parking garage was filled with the  
sound of an animal's growl, erupting from the chrome-tipped exhaust pipes. A creature  
born of steel and rubber, brought back to life with specialized tools and fresh paint.  
  
Annika felt the entire car shift, as Todd revved the engine to flood the lines with fresh  
fuel, and when it fell back into an idling stance, it rocked violently back and forth.   
"Whoa..."  
  
"Ready?" Todd inquired craftily, trying anything to keep himself from slamming on the  
gas pedal in such a confined space.  
  
"I think so." she gulped.  
  
"Good." He moved the stickshift into gear and the car lept from it's place.  
  
Annika quickly snapped her seatbelt on, and gripped tightly to the sides of the bucket  
seat. "Do you really need those sunglasses? It's after midnight..."  
  
"It's all about the style, baby." Todd directed the car to the massive door leading outside,  
and with a push of the remote opener strapped to his sunvisor, it rose from their path.   
Todd wheeled the Superbird up the ramp ever so slowly, mindful of the vehicle's low  
stance and the sharp edges of the steep ramp. Once clear, he closed the door, and  
continued his way until they were sitting on the edge of the street. Todd leaned back into  
his seat, noticing the once blush pink of Annika's skin tone, turning a pale white about  
her knuckles. "Don't worry, gorgeous," he assured her in his charming soothe, "I'll drive  
slow for a while, until you get used to it."  
  
Annika looked back to him, apparently nervous. "Really?"  
  
"Uhhhhh..." he stalled, until a malicious grin curved upon his lips, "nah." He pushed the  
accelerator pedal to the floor, and the car responded in a lightning fast reflex, the engine  
tuned to an exacting precision. Todd barreled into the light traffic, and the Superbird  
relished it's freedom, with the speedometer rising to over forty miles per hour in just  
seconds.  
  
"OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!" Annika screamed, as Todd dragged her along for the  
tortuous joyride he so wanted to share with her. Her hands slipped to the dashboard as  
her boyfriend rounded a sharp corner at sixty miles, cutting into the oncoming lane  
slightly, and receiving a shrill honk in response. "What are you doing?!!"  
  
"Just stretching her legs." he laughed. He pounded the pedal with his feet, seeing just  
what his car could do, and how much asphalt he could grind up. He increased his speed  
down a straightaway, and savored the near empty streets at such a late hour.   
"Neeee-hah!! Ha ha ha...oh man, I love this car!"  
  
Annika was glued to her seat, forcing to witness building after building flash by in a  
distorted blur. The engine was blazing with an incredible power, screaming with an  
abraded grunting being released into her ears, and she wondered why humans would ever  
consider building a car to go this fast, and what kind of man would sell this monstrosity  
to her psychotic boyfriend. "I'm going to die in this thing..." she muttered between  
clenched teeth, feeling the forces of gravity push her to the door when Todd took another  
corner, at three times the posted speed limit.  
  
They reached another straight street, and Annika noticed the signal lights far ahead turn  
quickly to an amber glow. "Uhh, Todd, dearest, honey, sweetie?" she attempted to sway  
his furious 'testing' of his new toy. "Doesn't yellow usually mean slow down?"  
  
"Yellow what?" he answered, appearing oblivious to the streetlight quickly approaching.  
  
"The yellow light!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"There!"  
  
"That's not yellow, that's red."  
  
"Oh god." Annika buried her face in her hands, expecting the worst. Todd slammed on  
the brakes and the car heeded it's master's wishes, with a high pitched squealing along  
the pavement signaling it's attempt to stop it's massive girth. Annika felt the car finally  
cease it's forward momentum, and peered out from her fingers. They had indeed  
stopped, and she turned slowly to see her lover smiling down on her.  
  
"I saw it too." he chuckled. "Just...testing the brakes. And hey, they work."  
  
Annika was breathing hard, her chest heaving beneath the trench coat, both from an  
intense fear and a swelling anger towards this smiling jackal. "Good for the brakes."  
  
Todd flashed to her his winning smile, and then, cocked his head slightly, redirecting his  
gaze just past her, and through her passenger side window. Annika perked up and looked  
around, only to see another automobile rumbling right beside her. The couple both  
peered to a large vehicle, perhaps almost as loud as the Superbird, and another couple  
staring right back at them.  
  
The man in the driver's seat had dark brown hair, slicked back with a wet sheen, and  
wore a crooked smile, similar to Todd's but with none of the charm, grace, or tenderness  
he offered. He was clenched to the steering wheel, with the woman beside him leaning  
forward, possessed of a mean scowl. Thin, with blond hair, and heavy, garish make-up,  
she seemed to roam her eyes to Todd, the Superbird, and then to Annika. She smiled  
craftily, and then whispered something into the man's ear, causing him to form a  
matching grin.  
  
Annika growled, and desperately forced back the crimson glow of her ocean eyes, hoping  
to keep her guise intact. "What do they want?" she hissed.  
  
"Looks like they want a race." Todd answered coolly.  
  
The other man simply lifted his hand and cocked a finger to the street. Todd knew this  
gesture well, for it was the challenge he had been hoping for all night.  
  
Annika turned to Todd, and he smirked back. "I take it, that's the universal language of  
the streets. He does want a race, doesn't he?"  
  
"Oh yeah."  
  
"Todd, this is dangerous." she warned, fearing for his well-being, having been witness to  
car accidents either when flying patrols or skimming the television programs. "You  
could crash, or get caught by the police."  
  
"I'm confident in my skills and my car." he whispered. "Are you?"  
  
Annika fidgeted nervously in her seat, and stared to the glove compartment.  
  
"Better make up your mind, the light's about to change."  
  
Annika turned back to the other car, where the couple were watching intently for their  
provocation to be accepted. She and the other girl locked eyes, and the disguised gargess  
was met with a sneer.  
  
"What's the matter, honey?" the girl called out with a voice of broken glass. "Scared?   
Can't your man drive his car? Or perhaps the little birdie isn't tough enough?"  
  
Annika suppressed the growing want to tear off the roof of their car and attack this little  
bitch, as she continually berated her lover and their vehicle.  
  
"Or just maybe, the little woman doesn't want to boyfriend to get his ass kicked. Are you  
even his girlfriend? Perhaps he just paid you for a good fuck in the back seat," the girl  
thinned her eyes, "slut."  
  
The gates of Hell were torn open, and Annika bared her fanged teeth, grinding them  
together in her erupting rage. Her entire body was trembling, and she slowly turned back  
to Todd, who was wearing an injured expression at the other girl's words, and hoping he  
would not have to weld the door back on after Annika tore through it in her bloodlust.   
"Mr. Hawkins," she rasped, "kick...his...ass."  
  
Todd smiled, and silently thanked whatever gods that smiled down upon him, that he had  
found such a cool girlfriend. "Yes, dear."  
  
Annika glanced to the other couple, and assumed the gesture, pointing her index finger  
down the street. The challenge once extended, was now met. The other man instantly  
revved his engine, and the subsequent sound exploded from underneath his car, an equal  
outburst to the Superbird. Annika now thought she had goaded her boyfriend into  
something he could not win. "Todd, are you sure you can beat this guy?" she asked  
hesitantly.  
  
"Hmmm, he's driving a sixty-nine Camaro super sport." Todd responded, eyes trained on  
the opposite set of lights on the crossing street. "Judging by the sound of his engine, he's  
been doing some 'upgrading'. We're probably almost equal."  
  
"Then maybe we shouldn't..."  
  
"See that little red switch on the dash?" Todd inquired to his lover. "When I tell you, flip  
it."  
  
Annika found the brightly colored toggle, and nodded. "Flip the switch. Got it."  
  
The lights had turned yellow now, as the street they were forced to wait for was part of a  
major roadway coursing through Manhattan, giving ample time to allow traffic to flow.   
Annika prepared herself, assuming the position of her hands seized upon the dash, with  
her left hand just above the switch. Todd powered his engine, pumping the pedal a few  
times and making ready his car. The other car shook as well, and as the lights turned red,  
both drivers anticipated their own light to change in just a few seconds.  
  
Time stood still, as the flow of minutes, seconds, came to a stop. No sound, just the  
heavy breathing of Todd and Annika filling the compartment of the car. His eyes were  
trained on the lights, even through the purple tinted sunglasses, and his heart raced with  
pure adrenaline through his arteries. He was born for this, he was conceived for the  
ultimate rush, and the car he had spent so much money on, and wasted away his free  
nights while sanding and polishing, would now face a trial by fire. In a flash, the crimson  
faded, and was replaced by the sharp certainty of an emerald light.  
  
Todd stamped the accelerator to the floor, nearly driving his foot through the  
undercarriage, and slammed the shifter down. The Superbird soared into the air, and  
both driver and passenger were pressed against their seats. The roar of powerful  
machinery filled the night air, and the screeching of tires were as loud as a gargoyle's  
battle cry in the throes of a bloody war. Both cars left only twin trails of black rubber  
and a clouded mist of gray smoke in their wake, as they vaulted from their positions, and  
surged down the empty street.  
  
Todd watched the speedometer spiral around, reaching the hundred mile mark in a few  
seconds, and continuing past ever steady. Annika's mouth was gaped, yet no sound  
spilled forth, as her eyes followed the yellow line to their left, never wavering. Todd  
kept his vehicle steady, as the powerful engine heaved with unrelenting strength, and  
soon they were almost to one hundred thirty miles, and still ascending in speed. Through  
the entire race, Annika saw from the corner of her sapphire gaze, the other car was  
slightly pulling ahead, and she found the woman's grin being flashed to her once more,  
taunting her yet again.  
  
"Annika," came Todd's voice over the thunder of the engine, "flip the switch...and hang  
on."  
  
Annika stalled, unsure of what this switch would do, until she found the other car pulling  
past them. She lifted the safety catch, and flicked the switch. A slight hissing could be  
heard from behind them, and Annika thought it was emanating from behind the back  
seat, in the trunk space. Then suddenly, as if the Superbird had grown wings to suit it's  
name, it lurched ahead, and the speedometer almost shattered, as the orange needle  
jumped past the one hundred eighty mile mark. Annika was violently thrown back into  
her seat, as the vehicle was launched like a rocket past the other car.   
"HOOOOOOOLLLYYY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPP!!!" she screeched.  
  
"NEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Todd yelled out in triumph. "Nitrous  
Oxide, baby!! HA HA HA HA HA!!!"  
  
The Superbird reached the two hundred mile mark, screaming down the pavement, and  
almost lifting from the ebony surface. They had left the other car in the proverbial dust,  
barely a speck in the mirrors. Todd looked to Annika, who was reveling in the euphoria  
of speeds she never could attain in the air, screaming like a banshee in their victory.  
  
Todd slowed the car, noticing his road was coming to a quick end, and before they  
rammed through the front window of a Chinese restaurant, he brought the vehicle under  
control, and came to a halt, a slight waft of smoke rising from the tires. "Well, we won."  
  
Annika slapped off her belt and wrapped her arms around her lover, clamping her mouth  
over his. She nearly sucked out a few of his fillings in her passion, and released from  
him with a distinct pop. "I like this car," she whispered seductively, perched on his lap,  
"very much."  
  
Todd grinned. "Chick magnet." he explained, and licked his lips, tasting Annika's  
flavored lip gloss. "So, wanna check on the losers?"  
  
The gargess climbed back into her own seat. "You're damn skippy I want to check on  
them, and see that little bitch's face, knowing both her man and his car weren't up to the  
task."  
  
"A woman after my own heart. I should marry you..."  
  
"What was that?" Annika turned around, her attention having faltered, focused on the  
rear window and searching for the other car.  
  
"Nothing." Todd responded indifferently, twisting the steering wheel to bring the car  
around. They traveled back down the road, half expecting to see their fellow competitors  
still trying to catch up. "Where'd they go?" he asked, as Annika shook her head, using  
her honed sight to look even farther into the darkened street than her boyfriend ever  
could.  
  
"Wait." she cried out, almost surprising Todd in her alacrity. "What's that?" She  
pointed to a pair of flashing lights.  
  
"Cops." Todd whispered, slowing the Superbird to the speed limit, and watching Annika  
pull the bandanna lower, and draw the collar of her coat up. As they approached the  
glaring lights, Todd broke into a smile and Annika burst out laughing at the sight.  
  
For it seemed the defeated duo had swerved slightly off track in their attempt to catch up,  
and only found themselves careening into a police car, having pulled out into the street at  
just the wrong moment. The Camaro was a contorted wreck, it's entire front end  
demolished, and even with the stark contrast between the two vehicle's paint jobs, no one  
could tell where the Camaro ended, and the police cruiser started.  
  
Todd pulled the Superbird closer, and parked on the opposite side of the street, watching  
the young driver across from him being thrown over the back end of his own car, with  
two very irate police officers in the process of arresting him.  
  
Annika spotted the girl in the passenger seat, with a heated glower that could perhaps  
scare off Shadow himself. The gargess leaned out the window, and whistled, grabbing  
her rival's attention. The young woman snapped her eyes to the violet-colored car sitting  
far from her, and she was simply trembling with anger and disgust in her steady beau.   
Annika held up her right hand, and flashed the girl her middle finger, while scrunching  
her lips and forming kissing sounds.  
  
The girl blew out the driver's side window, only to be grabbed by one of the cops, who  
possibly thought she was making a break for it. She flailed and struggled against the  
officer's steel handed grip, and soon found herself bent over the hood alongside her  
boyfriend, and her hands shackled behind her.  
  
Annika laughed out loud and Todd pulled away, leaving their victims to their deserved  
fate. "Oh man," she cheered mirthfully, "I love this car! Can I drive it now?"  
  
"I don't think so, Drunky McSwerveandcrash."  
  
"Oh, come on. I'm great at driving. I'm just as good as you are in the video racing   
games."  
  
Todd never tore his eyes from the road, instead fumbling with the radio to drown out his  
girlfriend's steady pleading.  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Let's see, oldies, classical...ahhh, rock."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Sweeeeeet Home Alabama!!"  
  
"Turn that off and listen to me! I want to drive now!"  
  
"...ooooooooh my darlin'...my angel, I huuuunger foooor yoooooour touch..."  
  
"Come on!!"  
  
****************************************  
  
"Well, well, well, look who decides to show her face at long last." The wind carried a  
grated rasp, edged with malice. "Here I am, searching this entire island and the  
surrounding city for you for months, and then you happen to fall right into my lap."  
  
A large figure stood on the rooftop, watching the violet Superbird drive out of range, but  
not before getting the license plates. "What twist of luck..." he hissed, punching in the  
seven digit plate number to the computer in his hovercraft, tracing the owner from the  
DMV records. "Hmmm, what kind of young man would have the license plate...grg lovr.   
Ah, Mr. Todd Hawkins. So I finally place a name to the face of the young man who stole  
my property from me last year. Parading around on the empty streets with his  
sweetheart, just begging to be caught. How...fortunate for me."  
  
He stood up, his jagged features still camouflaged in the shadows. "No matter, this boy  
will find himself wishing he had never found my daughter. I will take her back, and if he  
resists, I will kill him. No one crosses Therias Ebon Crowe, without proper retaliation.   
No one..." 


End file.
